Women Farm Workers Demand South African Agriculture Sector Change

Over 100 South African women farm workers and people living on farms marched to parliament, calling for a meeting with Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development Thoko Didiza to discuss multiple issues which include food security, land redistribution, and pesticides.

The march, organised by the Women on Farms Project (WFP), followed a three-day convention of the National Farm Worker Platform, where various parties discussed farming issues.

A memorandum from the demonstrators read: "Despite progressive labour and tenure legislation introduced in a democratic South Africa, farm workers remain poor, marginalised, and vulnerable. Woman farm workers and dwellers remain landless, experience evictions, and earn low wages for the increasingly precarious and insecure seasonal work they do on the farms."

Department of Agriculture spokesperson Reggie Ngcobo denied that Minister Didiza received an invitation for a meeting with WFP. A department statement read: "The Ministry has not received any invitation for a meeting. Secondly the department has offices in the districts in the Western Cape that deal with amongst others, land issues, farm workers, farm dwellers, etc. Above that, there is the Department of Employment and Labour that deals with inspections on farms and conditions of employment."